The scratching at the door was rhythmic, a jagged sound of bone against wood that made Primo's skin crawl. He could smell them now—the metallic scent of blood and the musk of wet fur—seeping through the cracks. The man's hand remained firm over Primo's mouth, but the fire in Primo's ears was finally fading, leaving behind a strange, vibrating hum.
Suddenly, the silence of the street outside was shattered.
The roar of an engine—a car driving at high speed—tore through the neighborhood. It was followed by a cacophony of frenzied barks, deep guttural growls, and the thunderous sound of dozens of paws hitting the pavement.
The things in the hallway paused. A chorus of responsive howls erupted just outside the door, and then, the heavy footsteps retreated. The pack was gone, lured away by the loud, moving target.
The sound of the car and the chasing beasts grew fainter and fainter until the world fell back into an eerie, heavy silence. Only then did the man finally pull his hand away from Primo's face.
Primo and the girl slumped to the floor simultaneously, their legs giving out as the adrenaline began to ebb. The man didn't relax immediately. He peered through the door's peep-hole for a long minute, then moved cautiously to the window, pulling the curtain back just a fraction of an inch.
Finally, he holstered his handgun and sank into a kitchen chair with a heavy sigh.
"Thank you..." Primo rasped, his voice still shaky. He looked at the floor, a wave of guilt hitting him. "I... I'm sorry. I almost got you both killed."
"Are you dumb or something?" the girl snapped, her voice hushed but sharp with irritation. She gripped her baseball bat like she wanted to swing it at him. "Don't you know those things have incredible hearing? You were making enough noise to wake the dead!"
"Sarah," her father said firmly. The warning in his voice was enough to make her huff and turn away. He looked back at Primo with tired eyes. "Don't mind her. Her nerves are shot. I'm Dan, and this is my daughter, Sarah."
"I'm Primo. I... I really appreciate what you did. But why?" Primo asked, looking between them. "In this mess, you could have just left me."
Dan leaned back, rubbing his face. He explained that they were already packed and prepared to leave for an evacuation shelter when they heard the chaos coming from Primo's unit. They had been moving toward the stairs when the sound of the fight—and then the sudden, eerie silence from the dog—made them pause. Dan's instinct told him to check if a person was still alive or if the monster was now waiting for them.
It was only then that Primo noticed the heavy tactical backpacks sitting by the door.
"Shelter?" Primo asked, his heart leaping with a spark of hope.
"Five blocks from here," Dan said, nodding toward a black walkie-talkie clipped to his belt. "I'm with the force. This thing still picks up the emergency frequencies. The city hospital has been turned into a fortified zone. The police and some military units have barricaded the perimeter. It's the only place in this district with a backup generator and enough boots on the ground to hold a line."
Primo thought of his mother, miles away and unreachable. If he could get to the hospital, maybe there was a way to contact her.
As he processed the information, a cold sensation suddenly bloomed in his chest, radiating outward. The "burning" in his ears and nose was gone, replaced by something much sharper. He could hear Dan's heart beating. He could smell the old copper of the blood on Sarah's bat.
The assimilation was complete.
A flicker of blue light danced across Primo's retinas, invisible to the two people standing just feet away from him.
[Assimilation Complete]
[Feral Canine Core (Low Grade) Absorbed]
[Gained:
+1 Strength
+1 Agility
+1 Evolution Point
Skill:
Skill:
The information was overwhelming. Evolution Points? Rank D? He wanted to dive into the menus, to understand why his hearing suddenly felt like it had been turned up to maximum volume, but reality didn't give him the luxury of time.
"We're moving out in ten minutes," Dan said, standing up and tightening the straps of his tactical vest. He looked at Primo with a measuring gaze. "You want to come with us? We have a better shot in a group."
"Dad, are you serious?" Sarah cut in, her voice a sharp whisper. She looked Primo up and down, noting his pale skin and the way he still looked a bit shaky from his week-long coma. "He's barely standing. He'll just slow us down, or worse, get us caught."
Primo stared at the glowing blue panel between him and Sarah. She was looking right through it. They really can't see it, he confirmed. He opened his mouth to ask if they had seen any windows or gained any skills, but he caught himself. If this "System" was rare—or if he was the only one with an S-Rank skill—giving away that information could make him a target.
"I appreciate the offer," Primo said, his voice steadier than it had been all morning. "But I can't go straight to the hospital. I have a friend, Wyn. His dorm is only a few streets over. Based on his last messages, he's still there... and he might need my help."
Dan frowned, checking his watch. "The streets are a war zone, kid. Going anywhere but the shelter is a suicide mission."
"I have to check," Primo insisted. He felt the new strength in his legs, the subtle pull of muscles that felt slightly denser, slightly more reactive.
Sarah rolled her eyes, leaning her baseball bat against her shoulder. "Great. A hero complex. That's exactly what kills people in movies."
Despite her words, Primo felt a strange sense of confidence. He could hear the faint scuffle of something moving a floor down. He could smell the faint scent of blood and rot coming from the hallway. He wasn't the same weak kid who had tripped over a pile of books minutes ago.
"I'll meet you at the hospital," Primo said. "I just need to find him first."
Dan sighed, seeing the look in the boy's eyes. It was the look of someone who had already made up his mind. "Fine. But if you aren't at the barricades by sundown, they lock the gates. We won't be able to come back for you."